My gf and I were racking our brains to figure out where to go for her bday...

We're thinking somewhere that has both steak AND duck.... Maybe some funky bistro. Anywhere from Pasadena/Silverlake to Downtown LA. Any cool ideas?

HA HA HA!!! That's where I was going wrong! :)

Yeah, trying to find 'em on the WEST side. But thanks for the tip ;)

Sustainable agro and produce are "harmonious" with nature and blah-blah-blah. I'd ask around at Harvey Guss and maybe Vicente, where actual pro butchers can give you the low down. They may not be ranchers, but they'll probably be familiar with where to find such a thing, if "sustainable" meats really exist.

Recently disappointed with the decline in quality of Dim Sum truck's sesame balls, I am on the hunt for another place that offers them, here in WEST L.A.

Any ideas / suggestions? Thanks, 'hounds.

~ Trav

The prawns will go in their own separate cooking vessel. Never sucked the infamous brain from a prawn - Anthony Bourdain made it look mighty appealing, though. =)

Yeah... I noticed and grabbed for the feistiest in the lot. The rock crab, however.... well, it rocked. =) Gonna boil 'em at high noon. Poor bastards won't know what hit 'em. Mmmmmm.

I called over there.... and they have THREE types: Dungeness, Rock, AND Blue. YOU ARE MY HERO!!! Thanks. I can't wait!!!

I've been looking for live crabs for MONTHS, in the LA area. If it wasn't for your post, I'd still be a sad, crab-less little fella. THANK YOU for sharing this info!!! You rock!

Aloha folks... Planning on doing an east-coast style crab boil. Problem: I can't for the LIFE of me find any fresh, live crab.

I TRIED SANTA MONICA SEAFOOD without success, although they had just about everything else.

I was wondering if y'all knew where to find FRESH LIVE crab. I am willing to shell out some dough, but I'm not going to buying a gross (a dozen dozen, or 144) or anything absurd like that.

I'm willing to travel about an hour or two; perhaps as far as Santa Barbara, or San Diego.

Thanks, 'hounds.

Lately, I've been craving a turkey sandwich like the one at the notorious Malibu Kitchen. This would include: turkey breast and cranberry. The one at MK has baked brie, which makes it OUT-standing, but I'll settle for some stuffing or mash... or both.

Any suggestions? Desired area: Brentwood, Santa Monica, WLA, Mar Vista, Venice, MdR, Westwood, or Century City. Thanks, 'hounds! =)

Amen to those Pretzel Rolls. Mmmmmm.

No veggieheads here, darn. Well, thanks Pandan... I'll keep looking. Guess I'll have to stick with the neighborhood RamenYa for now. =)

Roy Yamaguchi is quite the Hawaiian dynamo. I've been to his restaurant in Maui and here several times. I highly suggest it. Just don't pump it up as a Hawaiian place... it isn't. It's kind of a Japanese-Hawaiian-Fusion. Beautiful flavors, great colors, and unique ingredients. A great suggestion by all these folks that I have to agree with.

ROck on, man. I'm gonna have to try that. Never heard of it. Thanks

Not in THIS steakoshpere, nor shall it ever be. But I think we should take your suggestion for Phillies new nickname under advisement. =) Pat and Geno's, Shmat and Pino's. Geno's is all Vegas, anyway. I'll have some neon with my Cheesesteak, please. Psh. Pat's.... OooOOoookay, I do like me a good Pattie's Cheesesteak. Mmmm, whizlicious.

AMen. That place is awful! I'm glad SOMEONE sees it.

Philly West blows goats. I went there, after numbers of people suggested it. It was downright offensive. A Cheesesteak with marinara?? Mr. Cheesesteak is rolling in his grave, somewhere. Just go to Houstons, or something. Or book a ticket to Philly, I guess. I've lived on the Westside for 28 years... I give up.

Hey Woofer.... why not Ramen-ya? Sooooooo much better. I used to go to Asahi, but when I went to Ramen-ya, I never went back to Asahi. Give it a shot. You WON'T be let down. ((PS. Baby Blues.... ridiculously good. Love the place))

Have you heard of the cookbook called something like "Cooking Trader Joes." It is nothing but recipies that include nothing but things you can find at TJs. Awesome.

Has anyone gone to that Pho place, near Sawtelle kitchen, just south of La Grange, on Sawtelle? I always see people there, but haven't tried it yet, out of fear it will be like every other awful Pho place that I have been.

Ha ha ha! THAT'S what I was thinking. They pronounce it "Fwaah," right? Ah yes, nothing like getting lost in translation.

That is hilarious. I ended up ordering from them, as they had posted a flyer on my door. As this usually leads me NOT to order from a place, the menu was pleasantly surprising. =) I give it about a 3 out of 5. Definitely better than the "usual suspects," but not quite a gourmet pie. It did the job well. Good call, Debra.

Yeah, I was wondering about that place. I assume by your comment that you've tried this Johnies joint? Thumbs up, or keep hunting?

My friend is in town from Chicago, and she's fiending for pizza. What is the best place that DELIVERS on the westside (around Santa Monica Blvd and 405)? Jacopo's closed, on Olympic, so I'm looking for a new place. PLEASE HEP! =) Thanks!

((And no, not Papa John's.... BLECH!))

I'm with some of the above folks... Bay Cities Deli... a.k.a. The W.O.P. shop. =) Try the Godfather of all sandwiches here. Mmmm. And the adjacent store ain't bad either... Great imports.

The truly cool folks MUST order water, here. It's a little inside thing. =) Ha ha ha.

HA HA HA! I love it. Soooo true. Especially with a little extra brown crustiness around the edges. Mmmmm. =)

I may get absolutely brutalized for suggesting this, but I have found my guilty pleasure a la Mac-n-Cheese.... The Cheesecake Factory's FRIED MACARONI & CHEESE BALLS. Amazing.

I'm sorry, but I've found that place to be FAR more expensive than it's worth. Il Forno, down the street, provides pasta that's four times better for half the price. Lazy Daisy IS cute, though. =)